1.1 General This Standard provides requirements for the design, manufacture, construction, modification, operation, inspection, testing, and maintenance of passenger ropeways. The requirements of this Standard are adequate under conditions normally encountered in the industry. Requirements for abnormal or unusual conditions are not specifically provided for, nor are all details of engineering and construction prescribed. It is intended that all work performed within the scope of this Standard will meet or exceed the safety standards expressed or implied herein.

1.2 Equipment Covered For this Standard, passenger ropeways include (a)reversible, single and double, above-surface ropeways; (b)fixed grip and detachable grip ropeways, circulating above-surface ropeways, including gondola ropeways, chair ropeways, and similar devices; (c)surface ropeways, including T-bar ropeways, J-bar ropeways, platter ropeways, and similar devices; and (d)tows, including wire and fibre rope tows; and (e) tows for secondary carriers.

1.3 Freight Freight may be carried on the equipment covered by this Standard, provided that allowance has been made in the design and the appropriate precautions are taken.

1.4 Existing Installations Existing installations are expected to meet the operation, maintenance, and testing requirements of this edition of this Standard. Note: Existing equipment installed in compliance with previous editions of this Standard may not comply with the new design requirements.

1.5 Exceptions In the case of novel design, new configurations that cannot be precisely classified, or cases of reported nonconformance, exceptions from the requirement may be made, provided that equivalent safety is provided.

1.6 Funicular Railways This Standard may be adopted for use with funicular railways and self-powered reversible above-surface ropeways.

1.7 Mandatory and Advisory Rules In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advises but not required; and "may" is used to express and option or that which is permissible within the limits of the standard. Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. Legends to equations and figures are considered requirements.